Maruman Reccer Memo Pad Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

I feel like I need scratch paper every few minutes. At work, every few seconds. I often carry a perforated pocket notebook for this purpose, and the Maruman Reccer Memo Pad has been an excellent companion.

Don't let the word "large" fool you--this is a wee memo pad. It's almost exactly the size of my iphone 6 (the old, smaller one), so it fits nicely in a pants pocket, or in the phone pocket in your bag that no longer fits your phone because your phone is now the size of a small country. It's tall and narrow, so there's plenty of room to write, but it fits comfortably in the palm of your hand.

The cover is textured, flexible plastic. It has the "RECCER" name on it, with a quote that hasn't quite translated clearly: "Have always on hold a reliable records organizer. Records are the wisdom and guides you obtained up to the present time." A bit cryptic, but I think we're on board with the general sentiment. Behind the cover is a blue sheet with some Japanese that I'm afraid I can't read (feel free to drop a translation in the comments, if you're able!). But I suspect that the blue sheet is blotting paper--it has a similar texture. Behind the blue sheet are 50 sheets of 5.5 mm lined 70 gsm paper.

Like many other Japanese papers, including others from Maruman, I can't help but assume my ink is going to bleed straight through. And then I'm always enchanted when it doesn't. Even a zoom nib loaded with black ink barely shows through. Everything I tried, including all my inked fountain pens and a Copic fineliner, behaved well on this paper. It was a little slick for pencils, though.

Every other line on the page is subtly dotted, so if your handwriting is too large for the 5.5 mm spacing, you can easily take up two lines without feeling like you've trespassed into the next space. But it still comfortably accommodates small writing. There are some dot and arrow margin marks, if you feel like taking your memo notes very seriously.

The perforation tore cleanly with no folding or prompting needed. It did take a few pulls to get started, but I've had no torn pages.

The only thing I don't like about this memo pad is the ring binding. I don't prefer ring binding anyway, but I especially don't like it on a pocket notebook. It's not comfortable to carry, it's not good for fabrics, and the rings are doomed to destruction. I don't mind them on a notebook that's meant to stay open on a desk, but this is clearly a carry-around book.

I can't complain too loudly, though. With paper this nice, and at only $2.25, this is a gem. It's a perfect gift for coworkers or pen friends--or anyone who runs through life leaving a trail of small, pertinent papers in their wake.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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